Commissioned by Thomas Butts in 1803, William Blake painted this watercolor as one of a hundred intended for an illustrated Bible never realized. Distinctive of Blake’s style is the hieratic composition and strict frontality of St. Paul as he preaches to the diminished figures below, representing the Ages of Man. Blake focused on the rapt intensity of the apostle’s face and on his arms outstretched in exaltation. His application of stippled watercolor creates a spiritual power that radiates around the saint.

Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. “A Handbook of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design”. Providence: Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design,1985.